HAVE YOU EVER MET A CHILD WHO TALKED LIKE AN ADULT? Who knew big words and knew how to use them? Was he a charmer or an insufferable smart aleck--or maybe both? Mark Oppenheimer was just such a boy, his talent for language a curse as much as a blessing.
Oppenheimer\'s journey from loneliness to fulfillment affords a fascinating inside look at the extraordinary subculture of world-class high-school Debate and at the power of language to change one\'s life..
This smart, funny memoir not only reveals a strange, compelling subculture, it offers a broader discussion of the splendor and power (including the healing power) of language and of the social and developmental hazards of being a gifted child.
But when he got to high school, Oppenheimer discovered an outlet for his loquaciousness: the Debate team.
Frustrated and isolated, Oppenheimer used his powers for ill--he became a wisenheimer--pushing his peers and teachers away, acting out with prank phone calls, and worse.
Unlike math or music prodigies, he had no way to showcase his unique skill, except to speak like a miniature adult--a trick some found impressive but others found irritating.
HAVE YOU EVER MET A CHILD WHO TALKED LIKE AN ADULT? Who knew big words and knew how to use them? Was he a charmer or an insufferable smart aleck--or maybe both? Mark Oppenheimer was just such a boy, his talent for language a curse as much as a blessing
